OMG!!! This section just cements Tolkien's inability to tell the STORY, instead of letting characters tell the story. It's one of the most egregious examples yet!

We've already established that Merry/Pippin have a POV. And yet, do you think Tolkien could cut away from the Trio to show what's happening to them? NOOOOOOO! Instead, let's have them all meet up and THEN have Merry exposit everything that's happened!!

SHOW, don't TELL. I want to SEE the battle, not listening to High as a Kite Merry tell about it to the Trio afterwards.